Gauging instrument for miter boxes



April 7, 1931. E, SODERGREN GAUGING INSTRUMENT FOR -MITER BOXES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 6. 19 28 April 7, 1931- E. SODERGREN 1,799,605

,GAUGING INSTRUMENT FOR MITER BOXES Filed Feb. 6, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 s 20 provide a gauging Patented Apr; 7, 1931 ERIC soDnRGREN, or SIERRA Mann-E; CALIFORNIA GAUGING msrnuivriinr Fee muse oXEs Application filed February" 6, 19 Serial "to; 232,265.

My inventionrel ates to and has for antepose the provision of a simple and substantial gauging instrument by which a piece of material to be sawed in amass-box can with the utmost ease and dispatch 'be accurately gauged with respcctto the saw of box, for sawing to any predetermined diin'ension within the range or the instrument.

It is another 1 1 1 of my'ilwenticn' to provide a gauging instrument with whichany (:(nn' entiona1 formof mi'te'rbo'x' is capable of i being c'perati'veiy associated to f0rn1auni-' ferry and portable structure without in any way modifying the construction of theni'iter boi'r, and which is adjustable in a manner to compensate for miter boxes of different dimensions, thus extendingto a maximum the range of usefulness of the instrument.

. It is a further purpose of my-invention to instrument having means by which pieces of molding for picture frames and the 1ike','ha-ving one end thereof previously i'nitere'd can be accurately gauged for sawing of a miter at the other end thereof.

Another purpose of my invention is" the PIOViSlOfl of a auging instrument having means'by which a piece of material to be teredy such as',- for lnstance, panel molding, v be accurately positioned with respect to the saw of the miter box so as to insure that the miter will be sawed at'the" exactpoint rename; s V p sen another object 3 provisionof a gauging instrument having associated therewith a work holdergby means: of Which apiece of material of suchdlmensions' as to project from an end-of theiniter box and bend downwardly under its own weightsufliciently to interfere with the accurate gauging-of the piece, can be supported at a distance from the; miter, box and inthe sameplaneas that portion of the piecedirectbox, to "theendfl that the accurategauging of the'pi'ece'will 1y supported by the miter be insured t 1 I will describe only one form of gauging instrument for 'Initer boxes embodying my inventionand will then point'o'ut thenovel I features; in claims;

the miter Figi-6 is an of my invention is the 1 In the accompanying drawings, v w I Fig. 1 1s a vlew showing in plan oneform of gauging inst-rument embodying r'nyin; yentmnapphed to a conventional former miter box, and illustrating the instrument in gauging position ,withfrespe'ct to" a piece of materialto be sawed; I by V a i f Fig. 2 is aview in side e1ei ation of the gauging instrument and miter box shown in Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken ontheline 3-3 of Fig; 2, looking in the direction of the arrows and illustratingthe construction of the worksupport'embodied in the instrii ment' and the manner in'which a piece of workis adapted to be associatedtherewith;

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged" sectional views taken respectively on th'elines'' ec and 5'-":5 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of th arrows; t I

enlarged fragmentary view i11- lustrating one of a-pluralityof stops embodied in the instrument;

Fig. 7 is a sectional'view takenonline 7 7 of Fig. Gan'd looking in the direction of the arrows;- V w "Fig-JS is a fragmentary plan View of a miter box and a gauging attachment em bodied in the gauging instrument,- and'cil'lus trating" the manner in which the attachment is employed to" gauge piece of material from which airela'tively small' portion is to v be sawed;

' Fig; Sis a perspective view of the gauging attachment shown in' Fig. 8'and illustrating" the manner in which it is adapted to'be supportedby the gauging instrument;

- Fig-1'0 is a fragmentary planvie'wot' a miter box and an attachment embodied. in

the gauge, for use in gauging apiece of mol'dng having an end thereofl previonsly mi- V r tered '1 Fig. 11 is'a as ects-tame art aw iment shown in 10', ahd'illustrating; the

Fmanner ln-w'hich it is" adapted tobesup'port' ed by" the" gauging instrument;

miterbox and another attachment by which 7 Fig 12' is a fragmentary plan view' ofa elevated position on a work bench or other suitable support. I

.Upon the base B is adapted to be mounted a conventional form of miter box M including a bed or saw table 11 from one longitudinal edge of which projects upwardly a back rest 12 adapted to co-act with the bed in supporting a piece of material in a definite posi-' tion for sawing by a saw 13 mounted to reciprocate in slotted guide posts lt secured to a frame 15 pivotally mounted at 16 to permit the angular adjustment of the saw with respect to the work, all of which is well known and will be understood. The miter box M illustrated is provided with attaching ears '17 by means of which the box is ordinarily secured to a work bench. However, when used in conjunction with my gauging instrument these ears 17 are utilized to permanent- I secure the miter box to the base B, and to this end screws 18 extending through the ears are threaded intothe base-so that the miter box and base become a single unit and a can be moved about on the work bench as desired.

To provide means for gauging an extremity of a piece of material supported on the bed 11, with'respect to the saw 13, and to support the extremity of the piece in the same plane 7 rest on the'work bench, and then bent upwardly to provide an upstandingportion 21. The bar is slidably mounted in alined grooves 22 formed in the strips 10 and extending longitudinally of the base, and in a channel shaped housing 23 spanning the strips and secured to the undersideof the base by screws.

24. With the bar mountedin this manner, its

upstanding portion 21 projects above the plane of the bed 11 and constitutes an abutment against which an extremity of a piece is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

A U-shaped guide member 25 is secured to one end of the base B and is provided with an opening slidably receiving the bar 19 while a guide plate 26 is secured to the opposite end of the base and is provided with an opening through which the bar 19 is adapted to extend. Threaded into the U-shaped guide member 25 is a clamping screw 27 adapted to be screwed into clamping engagement with the bar 19 so as to lock the latter in a selected position of adjustment for gauging of a particular piece of work by the upstanding portion 21.

To position the extremity of the piece of work being gauged, in the plane of the bed 11 and back rest 12 of the miter box M so as to insure the extreme accuracy of the gauging operation, I provide an element E in the form of a block of metal slidably'mountedon the upstanding portion 21 and capable of being locked in a selected position of vertical adjustment by a screw 28. The element E is provided with a pair of co-acting projections, one of which is in the form of a horizontally disposed shelf 29 and ie other in the form of a pin 30 projecting vertically upward from the shelf. The element E is ad justed on the upstanding portion 21 until-the top surface of the shelf 29 is disposed in alinement with the top surface of the bed 11, while the position of the pin 30 on the shelf is such that one side thereof is alined with the side of the back rest 12 against which the piece of material to be sawed is adapted to abut. With the extremity of the piece of material reposing on the shelf 29 and engaging the pin 30, itwill be clear that the extremity will be supported in the same vertical and horizontal plane as that portion of the piece resting on the bed and against the back rest of the miter box, respectively, thus preventing distortion of the extremity which would render the sawing of the piece inaccurate.

The vertical adjustability of the element E allows for variations in height of beds of different miter boxes so that the instrument can be operatively associated with miter boxes of different dimensions with equal facility.

As the instrument above described is limited in its gauging function to pieces of materialtorbe'sawed into such lengths that the extremity thereof being gauged projects from the end of the bed 11, I provide an atprojects a bar 3% provided at its free end with an abutment capable Of'fllIlCtlOIliIlg with respect to the extremity of the piece of material, in the samefmanner as the upstanding portion 21. With the member A applied to the upstanding "portion as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, itwill be clear that upon sliding adjustment'of the gauging member G in the base B, the member A can be moved to. a position in which it overlies and rests upon the bed 11 so that its abutment 35 can be brought in anyproximity to the saw 13 desired.

In'order to provide a suitable abutment for one mitered end of a piece of picture frame molding orthe like, when it is desired to gauge the latter torthe sawing of a miter on its other end, an attachment comprising an element E (Figs. 10' and 11) in the form of a block ofrnetal is provided with an opening adapted to slidably receive the upstanding portion 21 and to be securely clamped thereto. by 'meansof a screw 36, the element having a vertical face 37 of such dimensions as to. project laterally beyond the side edges of the upstanding portion 21 when the element is applied ,to the latter so that the end portion of themolding, as shown in Fig. 10, can be rested upon the shelf 29 and against the pin 30', while its pointed extremity will abut the face 37,"thus insuring that an accurate gauging of the molding will be effected. Y

In order to, facilitate the accurate positioning, with respect to the saw 12, of apiece of panel molding previously marked for sawing of a miter at a. predeterminedpoint thereon, I. provide an; attachment (Figs; 12 and 13): comprising amember A having a head38 identical in construction to the head v 31 ofthe member A and adiapted'ito be asso ciated with the upstanding portion 21in a manner identical to the latter member. From the head 38 projects a bar 39 to which is secured an'extensi'ondO formed of wood and having its free end'bevel'e'd to conform with the angle of the particular miter to be sawed on'the molding. In the operation of this attachment it is applied to the upstanding portion 21 asshown in Fig. 12 and thegauging member G adjusted toposition the beveled end of the extension 40 against the side of the saw'13. The saw is now elevated to allow the piece of panel molding to be inserted be'- neath, and a mark previously made on the molding at the-point it isdesired' to saw off the latter is aline d'with 'the'point of juncture 4:1 betweenthe beveled end of the extension" and the side'ofthe latter against which-the molding rests, after which the molding is held by the operator against movement and he sawingoperation etl'ected. i

' In the event that a: piece of material being gauged at one extremity by the gauging member Gris of suchlength that its other extremity projects beyond the, opposite end of the bed 10 to such an extent as to cause the wardly under its own weight andthus inter- I projecting portion of the piece to bend down- I fere with the accuracy of the gauging" operation, a work holder designated generally at W, is embodied in the gauging instrument.

'The work holder in the present instance comprises a bar 42 of rectangular crosssection bent downwardly adjacent one end to provide a foot 43 adapted to rest on the work bench, and then bent upwardly to provide an upstanding portion 44. Thebar 412 is slidably mounted in alinedqgrooves (not shown) formed in the strips 10 extending longitudinally of the base B similarly to the grooves 22, and in a channel shaped'housing 4E6 spanningth'e strips and secured to the underside of the base by screws 47'.

A U-shaped guide men ber 48 is secured to the end of the miter box opposite tothat with which the gauging-instrument is associated and is providedwith an opening slidably receiving the bar 42, while a guide plate 49 is secured to the other endof the'base and is provided with an opening through which the bar 42 is adapted to extend. Threaded into the U-shaped guide member 48 is a horizontallyand on an axis transverse to the length of thebase B, a: roller 52", 'Onecof' the roller as shown in Fig. 3 and is adaptedto co-act with the roller in supporting the proj ecting portion of the piece of material in the arms 53' of theyoke is extended above the sameaho'rizontal and vertical plane as that portion of the piece supported directly by the bed 11 and'abutting the back rest 12 or the miter box.

The yoke .51 can be locked in any'vertically adjusted position by means of a'screw 54, and this adj ustability of the yoke allows for variations in height of beds ofd'iii'erent mlter'boxes' so that the work holder isrend'ered capable of being operatively 'associ-i atedwith miter .boxes of diflerent diinensions. "The adjustability ofthebar42rlongito be positioned at the point most effective piece-0t material being gauged.

"ftudinally of the bed" 11 permits the roller 52 Q-A'pair of stops 55,. dentical' in waste;

tion, are slidably mounted'for vertical m0,ve-' ment 1n slotted plates F56secured=to the underside of theibasej B along one longitudinal edge thereof and adjacent each end,

and studs 57' secured inthe base B extend throughslots 58 in the stops and arepro- 'vid'e'd with wingnuts by means of which the 1 stops can be clamped in the inactive position" to support the .pr jectingpOrtion or the 9" shown in broken lines in Fig. 6 or the active position shown in full lines in this figure in which the stops project below the underside resisted, and such movement positively prevented by the stops.

. Although I have herein. shown and described only one form of gauging instrument for miter boxes embodying my invention, it

M is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 7

1. In combination, a miter box on which a piece of material is adapted to be supported in a position for sawing by the saw of the miter box, a gauging instrument operatively associated with the miter box, having gauging means against which an extremity of the piece of material is adapted to abut so as to gauge the dimension of the piece between the gauging means and the saw of the miter box, and means bywhich said extremity of the piece of material and a side of the latter is adapted to be supported in the same plane both horizontally and vertically as that portion of the piece of material supported by the miter box, whereby said dimension of the piece of material can be accurately gauged.

2. In combination, a miter box having a bed upon which apiece of material tobe sawed is adapted to rest, and a back rest against which the pieceis adapted to abut so as toco-operate with the bed in supporting the piece in a definite position for sawing by the saw of the miter box, and a gauging instrument for the miter box comprising a base upon which the miter box is secured, and a gauging member mounted on the base, having means against which an extremity of the piece is adapted to abut, and be supported in the plane of the bed and back rest of the miter box, whereby an accurate piece can be effected.

3. Incombination, a miter box having a i bed upon which a piece ofmaterial to be V the piece in a definite position for sawing by the saw of the miter box, and a gauging instrument for the miter box comprising a base upon which the miter box is secured, and a gauging member comprising a bar slidably mounted in the base for adjustment longitudinally of the bed and projecting from one end of. the base, the bar having an upstanding portion constituting a stop against which an gauging of the extremity of the piece of material is adapted to abut for gauging of the piece with respect to the saw of the miter box, an element securedto the upstanding portion, having horizontal and vertical projections co-operating to support and position the extremity of the piece in the plane of the bed and back rest of the miter box, and means for securing the bar in a selected position of adjustment.

4. A gauging instrument comprising a base upon which a miter box is adapted to be secured, a gauging member comprising a bar slidably mounted in the base and having a portion againstwhich an extremity of a piece of material supported by the miter box is adapted to abut, means on said portion by which the extremity of the piece of work is adapted to be supported and positioned in the same plane both horizontally and vertically as that portion of the piece supported by the miter box, and means for securing the bar against sliding movement in the base.

5. A gauging instrument as embodied in claim 4: wherein said first means comprises an element secured to said portion and having a pair of projections, on one of which the under side of the piece of material is adapted to rest, and against the other of which a side of the piece of material is adapted to abut.

6. A gauging instrument comprising a base upon which a miter box is adapted to be secured, a gauging member comprising a bar slidablymounted in the base and having a portion against which an extremity of a piece of material supported by the miter box is adapted to abut, means on said portion by which the extremity of the piece ofwork is adapted to be supported and positioned in the same plane as that portion of the piecesupported by the miter box, and means for securing the bar against sliding movement in the base, said first means comprising an element secured to said portion and having a horizontally disposed shelf and a pin projecting upwardly from the shelf.

7. A gauging instrument comprising a base upon which a miter box is adapted to be secured, a gauging member comprising a bar slidably mounted in the base and-having a portion against which an extremity of a piece of material supported by the miter box is adapted to abut, means on. said portion by wardly from the shelf, a member comprising a bar having a head at one end provided with an opening adapted toreceive said portion and a'notch adapted to co-act with said pin,rand means for securing'the head to said portion. f

8. A gauging instrument comprising a base on which a miter box is adapted to be secured a gauging member comprising a bar slidably mounted in the base,-the bar having an upstanding portion against which an extremity ofa piece of material is adapted to abut for gauging of the piece with respect to 1 the saw of the miter box, and an element on the upstanding portion having horizontal and vertical projections so disposed as to be e capable of co-operating to support and position the extremity of the piece of material 5 in the same plane as thebed and'back rest of the miter box. e

, 9. A gauging instrument comprising a base upon which amiter box is adapted to be secured, a gauging member comprising a bar slidably mounted in the base and having a portion against which an extremity of a piece of material supported by the miter box is adapted to abut, means on said portion by which the extremity of the piece of work is adapted/to be supported and positioned in I the same plane both horizontally and vertically as that portion of the piece supported bythe miter box, and meansfor securing the bar against sliding movement in the base,

said base comprising'a flat elongated body, having strips constituting feet: extending transversely across its ends, the strips having alined grooves extending longitudinally of the base, in which said bar is slidably received to underlie the base, achannel shaped housing secured to thebase and in which the bar is slidably receive and guided, a U shaped member receiving one end of the base and one of the strip-s and having an opening for re-' 40 ceiving the bar, said means for securingthe bar againstsliding movement comprising a set screw threaded into said U shaped member and adapted to engage the bar.

Signed at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, and State of California this s 26th day of January, AD. 1928. e ERIC SQDERGREN.- 

